I’ve been asked to veganize a red velvet cake more times than I can count! With both Valentine’s Day and the red carpet event of the Oscars coming up, I thought now was the perfect time to finally share my recipe. Just like the classic, this vegan red velvet cake is a gorgeous deep rich red with vanilla and cocoa flavour and a subtle zing from vinegar (this is traditional, trust me on this)! And of course, the cake is frosted with vegan cream cheese frosting for the classic combo. Oh la la!
Yeah, my mouth is watering already.
This cake might look and taste all sorts of fancy, but it is actually quite easy to prepare. The cakes come together quickly and needs to be cooled completely before frosting, so I usually make the cake layers the day before I want to serve it.
The frosting takes just a few minutes to whip up and can be made the day before as well and stored in the fridge. Then when ready, just frost and serve!
Just like all of my dessert recipes, this cake tastes just like the traditional version, and no one will be able to tell it’s vegan!
Enjoy this cake as a romantic after-dinner dessert, or (my favourite) for a breakfast treat with coffee in the morning.
To make vegan red velvet cake:
In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together.
In a medium bowl, mix the wet ingredients together. Add enough red food dye so that the wet ingredients are a very vibrant red. As for quantity, it will depend on the intensity of the food colouring used. For the gel, I used 1 heaping teaspoon. For a liquid dye, it would likely be closer to 2 tablespoons.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until the batter just comes together, don’t over mix. The colour of the batter will deepen when cooked for the perfect red velvet colour.
Evenly divide batter among the cake pans. Bake 30 – 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pan before removing.
To make vegan cream cheese frosting, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the cream cheese and butter together until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and slowly mix in. Increase the speed and whip the frosting until fluffy. If the frosting is too thick, add 1 tablespoon of non-dairy milk at a time, mixing in, until the desired consistency is reached. Depending on the cream cheese used if the frosting is too sweet, add a pinch of salt and mix in.
If you like a lot of frosting you may want to double the amount.
Alternatively, you could make my cream cheese frosting recipe found in my cookbook Fuss-Free Vegan (page 170) which doesn’t require any vegan cream cheese!
Store the frosting in the fridge until needed. Make sure the cakes are cooled completely before frosting.
For final touches, I saved some of the cake crumbs collected when I was levelling the cakes, broke them up, and sprinkled them around the edges of the cake. I think it’s the perfect way to decorate this vegan red velvet cake, so cute!
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull
Tastes just like the traditional complete with a dairy-free cream cheese frosting! Easy to make. Perfect for Valentine's day or any occasion.
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cup white sugar
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/3 cup non-dairy milk (such as soy or almond)
- 2/3 cup light oil (such as canola or vegetable)
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- vegan red food dye *see notes
- 8 oz vegan cream cheese
- 1/4 cup vegan butter
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- non-dairy milk, if needed
- salt, if needed
Preheat your oven to 350F (180C). lightly grease two 8-inch round cake pans.
- In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together.
In a medium bowl, mix the wet ingredients together. Add enough red food dye so that the wet ingredients are a very vibrant red *see notes. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until the batter just comes together, don’t over mix. Evenly divide batter among the cake pans. Bake 30 - 35 minutes until ta toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pan before removing.
Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the cream cheese and butter together until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and slowly mix in. Increase the speed and whip the frosting until fluffy. If the frosting is too thick, add 1 tablespoon of non-dairy milk at a time, mixing in, until the desired consistency is reached. If the frosting is too sweet, add a pinch of salt and mix in. Store the frosting in the fridge until needed. Make sure the cakes are cooled completely before frosting.
Red food dye: not all food dyes are vegan-friendly, so make sure to check the brand you are purchasing. I used Wilton gel food colours which are vegan-friendly. As for quantity, it will depend on the intensity of the food colouring used. For the gel, I used 1 heaping teaspoon. For a liquid dye, it would likely be closer to 2 tablespoons. You could alternativly use beet powder.
Cream Cheese Frosting: if you do not have access to store-bought cream cheese you can make the cream cheese frosting recipe found in my cookbook Fuss-Free Vegan (page 170) which doesn't require any cream cheese! If you like a lot of frosting you may want to double the recipe.
Baking pans: I've never had any issue with my cakes sticking to the pans, but if you are concerned you can line the bottoms of your pans with parchment paper.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
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Can I use regular white vinegar instead of apple cider?
Hi! I love baking from your cookbook for my food allergy kiddo – I especially love the carrot cake! …Drool. I digress. Any ideas why this particular recipe stuck to my pans? Was thinking that maybe I didn’t bake for long enough (30m) but noT sure that has any scientific basis.
Did you let it cool in the pan? It’s easier to remove once cool. You can also line the pan with parchment paper to help it release if you like. Enjoy!
Thank you for your reply!
The first time I made it, I made 1/3 of the recipe and It turned out so fluffy and colorful.
The next time, I made the full recipe it turned out red-brown, the top was sticky, and it had a weird texture.
(I’m giving this a five until I try the recipe)
Hey, I’m not vegan but I was looking for a recipe that has no butter or vinegar. Can I use regular milk instead of vegan milk?
I never recommend using non-vegan products and have no experience with them. I think vegan cake is the best cake! Watch this 5-minute video if you want to learn about what’s really in cows milk.
I made this, and it was so good! I got several comments on it at a party I took it to. It was just right in terms of moisture-not too moist, not too dry. It wasn’t dense like other vegan cakes I’ve tried-it rose well. I liked that the cake itself wasn’t overly sweet, and the sweet cream cheese frosting complimented it well. I used the Follow Your Heart brand of cream cheese and it worked out great. I didn’t bring my vegan butter (Earth Balance) to room temperature when I made the frosting-I find that the icing is too runny if I do. I had trouble with the cakes sticking to my non-stick cake pans when all I did was grease them with oil. With my second batch, I went ahead and added parchment paper and oil to the cake pan, and they didn’t stick. I made the cakes several days before I served it, and it froze well wrapped in plastic wrap and foil. I kept the finished cake in the fridge, and I’d say the flavor was compromised after 3 days. The amount of frosting was more than enough for a double-layer cake. Thanks for the wonderful recipe-I recommend it, and I’d make it again. It’s going in my Tried and True cookbook. 🙂
Wonderful, so happy it was a hit. 🙂
Ok….super easy, great flavor and I didn’t even use the red food coloring. Everyone, including non-vegans, thought it was delicious. I’ll be sure to make it again!
Wonderful!! SO happy you loved it 🙂
I made this today for Valentine’s Day and it turned out amazing!! So delicious and moist . Everyone loved it. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Oh and also so easy to make which is always a plus!
Aww yay!! SO happy to hear that 🙂
I actually made cupcakes with your recipe. They were very light and fluffy and taste great. The only down side is they are brown velvet instead of red. I guess next time I need to use more of the red gel.
Hi Doug, how many cupcakes did this recipe make?
The recipe made 24 mini cupcakes and there was still batter left over so I made another 10 normal size cupcakes. Also, to add to my initial comment, the cupcakes were brownish on the outside, but a little red on the inside. I would still use more gel next time and they were so good. I gave some to my neighbors and they loved them as well. We all loved the cream cheese frosting as well.
Thank you! I’m making some for co-workers, trying out the beet powder as colouring and using cupcake liners. My test subjects 😉
Yes more red gel next time. So happy you enjoyed!
Don’t you know that oils like coconut & vegan butters are not healthy? Why do you keep having them in your recipes? Deleting you
Why do you feel the need to come on here and comment such nasty things? Her recipes are INCREDIBLE and give us vegans all the comfort food feels!
My blog isn’t health-focused, it’s vegan focused. My only goal is to make easy delicious vegan recipes using easy-to-find ingredients. If you’re looking for healthy recipes there are lots of other blogs that offer that.
Cakes aren’t meant to be healthy.
Thank you for the link to the PlantPlate web site. Very helpful web site. I’ll have to try substituting with suggested silken tofu or unsweetened applesauce and let you know how this experiment turns out.
Candi M.
This is Vegan love!!!❤️ Make it. It’s yummy and easy and so pretty.
Aww thanks Cindy!
For the dye, can I use raw or cooked juiced beets?
I haven’t tried that so I’m unsure of that would work out. I think beet powder would be your better option or natural dye.
Hi Sam, thank you for this, looks amazing! Will be serving it to many omnivores over the weekend. I’ll play around with beet powder to avoid the artificial color, but that’s just me.
Can’t wait to dig in, your recipes never disappoint – thank you!
THank you so much, Yulca 🙂
Vegan cream cheese is not readily available in my area. What is the reason for using this recipe instead of the one from Fuss Free Vegan? (Cuz I could eat that with a spoon!!)
Hi Sue! Two reasons. 1. that recipe is copyrighted to the book and I cannot share it on my blog. and 2. I wanted to give people variation. There is a note in the recipe tho that you can make the version from Fuss-Free Vegan if you prefer 🙂
Hi! Is it possible to use applesauce instead of oil?
Oil-free baking isn’t my specialty. You can reference this guide but I don’t know how it will turn out.
I do have beet powder. So how much should I use?
I haven’t tried it myself, but just add enought until the wet ingredients are a vibrat red or pink.
Sam,
I would rather not use Oil in the recipe for this cake. Is there something else I can use as a replacement?
Oil-free baking isn’t my specialty. You can reference this guide but I don’t know how it will turn out.
Hi Trina, Hi Candi, Hi Sam, and I’m sure Sam knows about the science behind using fat or oil in baking, but as I understand it mixing the fat or oil isolates the individual grains of flour thus preventing them forming a soggy mess! …”Whether in dough or in a cake batter, fat retards drying out”…”.As one of the three major food categories, fats provide a very concentrated source of energy. They contain many of the fatty acids essential for health”..(quotes taken from .https://opentextbc.ca/ingredients/chapter/functions-of-fat-in-baking/)…and anyway, I really think for that delicious ‘mouth feel’ you would need to use some oil…..you could try cutting the amount I suppose…but I wouldn’t recommend it….Let’s face facts….food is meant to be enjoyed!!!!.
How would I adjust the bake time of I wanted to make red velvet cupcakes.
I think they would take 15 – 20 minutes. I would start checking them at about 15 minutes. Once a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, they will be done 🙂